Some Days Are Diamonds
by HuntingPeace
Summary: Set after the series finale of Buffy in Buffy time but Spike didn’t die and then a year or two after season 3 of Angel, pretending none of the crap happened i.e. Holtz stealing Connor, etc. AC.
1. Life's New Chapter

Sunnydale's Hellmouth was no more and never would be again. It was a time to celebrate however there was still much evil to be had and the gang didn't know where to begin again. Their homes in the oxymoron-named town and all of their belongings had been sucked up as well, leaving them with the clothes on their backs and an old school bus from Sunnydale High. Once the bus hit the highway, Buffy turned to Giles and after a moment of thought asked "LA?" He gave an absent-minded nod in return. She had always thought of Los Angeles as Angel's territory and was a bit nervous about showing up on the doorstep of her ex-lover and soul-mate. Having spoken with Wesley less than a year ago, Giles knew where Angel Investigations had set-up shop and told the others of their destination. Some were surprised, some peeved, but a couple of people were genuinely glad to able to see Angel again. Buffy just hoped that Angel would be just as happy to see all of them, well save Spike because that would never happen.

The bus occupants filed out and congregated at the front of the huge wooden doors that led to the lobby of the Hyperion Hotel. Exhaustion had begun to toll on their bodies and so each moved slower than their normal pace. Buffy looked over her shoulder at her friends and then gave the solid door a good push.

**A/N**: What do you think? Should I continue? The idea is that Buffy and gang go to LA to help Angel and they find things are not exactly what they expect. Angel and Cordelia have a thing which will not be defined for a bit.


	2. Connection

A/N: Sorry for not giving you more in the first chapter and for not updating sooner. Thank you to those who reviewed! I have an idea of where I want this to go but welcome any opinions.

"Angel Investigations." A petite brunette with a southern drawl spoke into the phone, oblivious to the newcomers as her back was towards the door. "Hello? Hello? Oh well." No sound came from the other end of the line so she laid the phone back on its base.

"Fred, could you take a look at these? I believe they are from the—", Wesley's unmistakable voice increased in volume as he approached the reception desk from his back office, "—Buffy?"

"Hey, Wesley", Buffy said with a small smile and bit of warmth in her eyes. "It's good to see you again."

The rest of the gang filed inside and surprised the, now three, occupants of Angel Investigations in the lobby.

"You're Buffy?" Appearing from the basement, Gunn was interested to get a look at this slayer who had seemed like a goddess from stories he had heard about her. "I'm Gunn; it's nice to meet you." Although he didn't really understand her hotness rating, he was still impressed by the amount of ass-kicking she had dished out over the years.

"Wesley told me about you. You sound like quite the fighter. I'm glad you're on our side." Buffy was trying to be as polite and cordial as possible because she was not really sure where she stood in their opinions of her or how Angel would react to a bus-load of guests.

"Gunn, huh? It's catchy." Anya took a few more steps into the lobby, clearly unfazed by being an outsider in their world. Dawn and Faith, supporting Willow who was still weak, followed and sat on the divan.

"Wow, Angel has told us so much about you. I mean, not too much… just the right amount. I can't believe you're actually here because Sunnydale is your place and the hell mouth is there, and what will the world do if no one is guarding the hell mouth? Are you here to get Angel?" Fred, curious, walked around the desk to join the group.

"This is Winifred. She is our newest associate."

"Angel rescued me from Pylea while trying to save Cordy."

"Mm… Pylea is not fun." Anya said, walking around. "You're very energetic."

"Um… speaking of Angel, is he here?" Still nervous, Buffy was anxious to see him and get the most awkward part over with.

"Angel and Barbie left a couple hours ago. Who knows when they'll be back though; it all depends on how long Angel can take her in shopping mode."



"Come again." Giles' curiosity was peaked.

"Angel took Cordelia shopping."

"What?" Xander, Buffy, and Dawn chorused.

"It's so cute to watch them. Angel will take her shopping sometimes because, according to Cordy, your wardrobe must be updated every season. She'll run around picking out things while he watches her and she always ask his opinion when she's trying clothes on. I think he secretly likes shopping because it makes her happy." Fred had a faraway look in her eye as she remembered the time she accompanied them.

"I cannot picture that."

"I am picturing it and it scares me."

At about this time, the doors of the Hyperion open. Angel and Cordelia walk in, loaded down with bags and talking about something quietly. Angel mirrors the smile on Cordelia's face until he notices the new arrivals.

"Buffy?"

She turns around at the sound and her heart skips a beat. If it were possible, Angel was somehow more attractive in that moment than in any she could remember. It might be the lighter colored shirt he was wearing or the hint of that smile still beaming in his eyes. Either way, she found breathing to be a bit difficult and so her response never came.

"What's going on? Is everything okay?" Cordelia immediately became concerned because no way in hell would these people come to see them just to hang out and catch up.

"Cordelia?" Xander's eyes grew wide as he took in the sight of her.

"Hey, Xander. How have you been?" Cordelia say her bags down and went to give him a hug.

"Good, I'm good. Wow, you look amazing as always."

"Oh, thanks." Her million dollar smile lit up the room and attracted Angel's attention from Buffy for a moment. "You don't look too bad yourself."

"Say, poof, why are you so colorful?"

"Spike? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Nothing…" His eyes roamed up and down Cordelia's body, "just checking out the place."

"Spike! Don't even think about it."

"Angel, it's okay. He's safe." Buffy was quick to defend Spike.



"No he's not."

"He is, he is, I swear. The government placed a chip in his head so he can't hurt anyone."

Angel's growl died down in his throat. Anya had been jealousy looking on at the exchange between her boyfriend and his high school sweetheart bitch and she was pissed, so she approached the woman. "Hi, I'm Anya. Xander and I are dating now. We have amazing sex and he proposed."

"Anya!"

"What? You did."

"That's not the part I'm talking about."

"What? We do."

Cordelia laughed awkwardly and walked back to Angel. "Well, as fascinating as this conversation is, I think I'm going to go put these upstairs."

"Here, I'll help you." He had not sat the bags he was carrying down so he picked up an extra one of hers and started towards the staircase. As she reached to pick up the discarded bags of clothes, a vision hit her hard. Before she even began to sway, Angel had dropped the bags and enveloped her in his arms. While he carried Cordelia's pained form to the couch, Spike naughtily took a peek inside the pink bag marked 'Victoria's Secret' to discover that Cordelia must not leave much to the imagination while in lingerie. What startled him though was the scent coming from her, not really from her but instead from the bite mark he now noticed on her neck.

Buffy looked over Angel's shoulder, worried about what was happening to Cordelia but also about what she could possibly be witnessing. It was then that she noticed a bite mark on her wrist.

"Angel… when was she bitten?" Buffy asked, pointing to Cordelia's wrist.

Angel glanced down, a little guiltily, and then ran a hand down the side of Cordelia's face. "Two weeks ago." He paused, searching Cordelia's eyes as to whether or not he should continue. Knowing that she trusted him and whichever decision he made, he continued, "by me."

"What?" The whole Scooby gang practically yelled from astonishment save for the new recruits who knew nothing about Angel except what they had been told.

Cordelia knew that this would be difficult for Angel, so she sat up. "He didn't attack me; I offered." The gang seemed even more surprised by that. "He was stupid and went solo on a mission", she punched his arm for emphasis. "By the time we got there he had lost a lot of blood and we were a long way away from the hotel." She looked deep into his eyes, into the pain and guilt for leaving a feeding mark on her. She brought a hand up his face and gave him a smile. "He refused repeatedly until I finally forced him to do it."



"She saved my life. Another wave of them attacked and I would have been dust in my weakened state." Angel said, never breaking their eye contact, and amazed everyone as he kissed the mark. Buffy felt as if someone had kicked her in the gut.

"Yeah? And what about the mark on her neck? The one that has your scent radiating from it?" Spike asked.

"Spike—", Angel began.

"What? Are you embarrassed?"

"No!"

"Then what is it? Why don't you want to tell your supposed soul-mate that you marked your new girl in a moment of passion?"

"Spike!" Buffy admonished him. She then turned to look at Angel who had his head bent down. "Angel?"

"It's true. And I would never be ashamed." He added, looking to Cordelia to reaffirm the connection although she hadn't doubted him.


End file.
